Skip to main content

Oolitic Aragonite- Biogenic form of calcium carbonate


Oolitic aragonite is a unique mineral that appears as same as sand but it has huge difference compared with the normal beach sand. These minerals are formed in the lower layer of the water in the Banks of Bahamas. Oolitic aragonite is the combination of calcium carbonate and other chemical substances. It has different structure when compared with other calcium carbonate structures. The actual microscopic structure of oolitic aragonite looks like a lot of interlaced needles present together. These minerals have huge advantages like larger surface area and are available at an affordable price. Calcium carbonates have huge influence in our daily life and are used in the manufacturing of toothpaste, antacids, carpet.

Usually, Calcium carbonates are taken from non-renewable resources such as mines present all over the world. These mining’s are unsustainable and has high energy intensities which results in the higher price. Oolitic aragonite will act as an alternative choice and it is an eco friendly form of calcium carbonate. They are biogenic in nature as they are produced by living organisms. These oolitic aragonites are formed naturally during whiting event.


Whiting Event:
Whiting event is visible on the satellite images as white clouds in the water. The researchers first believed that they are caused by fishes while disturbing the bottom of the sea. Later it is confirmed as the formation of oolitic aragonite. Phytoplanktons are the microscopic plant organisms present in the water which seasonally moves over the banks of Bahamas. The phytoplanktons convert the sunlight into energy; carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere.  At next level the carbon dioxide will bind to the calcium present in the water.  At the end of the process it will create a calcium carbonate called as oolitic aragonite.

Oolitic aragonite is the world’s only biogenic and natural calcium carbonate. These structures are mainly available in the Bahamas region. The whiting events happen annually which restocks the oolitic aragonite deposits. This oolitic aragonite reserve on the Bahamas region contains nearly 50 to 100 billion metric ton of oolitic aragonite. The annual estimated renewal rate of oolitic aragonite in Bahamas regions lies from 14 to 120 million metric tons. Carbon dating is the common method used for knowing the age of the material whether it is created in the past 3 to 5 years or not. Oolitic aragonite is an environmentally friendly, renewable and sustainable material. Due to its natural formation and advantages, oolitic aragonite is also known as the eco friendly form of calcium carbonate.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Calcium Is Essential to the Human Body

Our bodies depend on calcium for many vital bodily processes. Although most calcium is stored in bones and teeth, calcium also plays an important role in helping muscles contract, regulating heart rhythms, nerve functions and controlling testosterone and estrogen production in our blood vessels. Most people can obtain enough calcium from diet alone; however, some individuals may require supplementation in order to meet their daily requirements. A physician will recommend an appropriate dosage plan based on individual circumstances. Milk products are the primary source of calcium in the American diet, but other foods contain significant amounts of this essential mineral as well. Nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese are excellent sources, along with dark leafy vegetables (excluding spinach), canned salmon with bones, dried beans, tofu, quinoa blackstrap molasses okra as well as certain fortified foods including bread fruit juice cereal etc. Calcium deficiency occurs when an ind...
Post a Comment
Read more

Aragonite – Finest form of calcium carbonate

Aragonite is one of the common carbonates like calcite. Calcite and aragonite have same molecule levels, thus they are called as paramorphs. The only differences in these paramorphs are their internal crystal structure. Aragonite has four sided orthorhombic structure whereas the calcite has six sided hexagonal crystals. Calcite is more common than aragonite because of its presence in the seashells, pearls and fossils. Both calcite and aragonite are formed under low temperature conditions but aragonite has low stability when compared with calcite. Aragonite is one of the wonderful collector minerals in the world due to their larger existence. The mineral forms in different attractive structure such as long- needle like form and in various structures.  Oolitic aragonite is the main source of aragonite. Oolitic aragonites are formed in the marine areas naturally. These egg shaped particles are initially saturated with higher amount of calcium carbonate. Due to solar radiation and...
Read more